Bridgeport Woman Stole $15,000+ In Unemployment Benefits: State

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 38-year-old Bridgeport woman was arrested Friday and charged with illegally collecting more than $15,000 in Unemployment Compensation benefits, according to the state Department of Labor.

Monica S. Smalls, of Pilgrim Road, was arrested by Inspectors from the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney and charged with one count each of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and felony Unemployment Compensation fraud.

The arrest is the result of an investigation into a complaint by the Connecticut Department of Labor, which administers the Unemployment Compensation program, which claims that Smalls fraudulently collected approximately $15,057 in unemployment benefits from July 2012 through September 2014. At the time, she was working for a school transportation business.

According to officials, the larceny charge carries a possible punishable of not less than one year nor more than 20 years in prison and/or up to a $15,000 fine, while the fraud charge carries a penalty of not less than one year nor more than five years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine.

Smalls was released after posting a $10,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court on January 25.

The case is being prosecuted by the Unemployment Compensation Fraud Unit, which was established under a partnership between the Division of Criminal Justice and the Department of Labor to investigate and prosecute fraud in the Unemployment Compensation program. It is financed with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, and officials remind the public that the charges are merely accusations and defendant is presumed innocent unless and until they are found guilty.

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